In the Standard Model of particle physics, the Higgs boson is associated with the Higgs field, which is a fundamental field that permeates all of space. It is through interactions with this Higgs field that particles acquire mass.
According to the Standard Model, particles are categorized into two groups: bosons and fermions. Bosons, such as photons and gluons, are particles that carry forces, while fermions, such as electrons and quarks, are particles that make up matter. The Higgs boson is an example of a boson.
The Higgs field interacts with particles differently based on their properties. The Higgs field has a non-zero vacuum expectation value, meaning it does not vanish even in the absence of particles. When other particles interact with the Higgs field, they experience resistance or drag, similar to moving through a medium. This interaction slows down the particles and gives them the property we perceive as mass.
Particles that interact more strongly with the Higgs field acquire a larger mass. For instance, W and Z bosons, which are responsible for the weak nuclear force, have significant interactions with the Higgs field, resulting in relatively large masses. Photons, on the other hand, do not interact with the Higgs field and, therefore, remain massless.
The Higgs mechanism, which involves the Higgs field and the Higgs boson, is responsible for the spontaneous breaking of electroweak symmetry and the generation of mass for the W and Z bosons in the Standard Model.
It is important to note that while the Higgs boson imparts mass to other particles, it itself has mass as well. The discovery of the Higgs boson at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in 2012 confirmed its existence and provided evidence for the mechanism by which particles acquire mass.